Attachment for rocking-chairs



(No Model.)

v v W. 1. BUNKER. ATTACHMENT FOR ROCKING CHAIRS.

Nq. 403,325. Patented May 14, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM I. BUNKER, OF LA GRANGE, ILLINOIS.

ATTACHMENT FOR ROCKING-CHAIRS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 403,325, dated May 14, 1889.

Application filed January 29, 1889. fierial No. 298,014. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM I. BUNKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at La Grange, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Attachments for Rocking-Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1, 2, 4, and 5 show side elevations having a recess deepened to hold a bracket without the aid of screws or other attaching devices. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the bracket, showing the projecting or enlarged portion deepened to fit into the recess; and Fig. 6 is a side elevation showing the recess in both rocker and base-rail.

A is the rocker; B, the base-rail; C, the connecting-spring; D, the attaching-bracket; E, the slot or opening in the rocker or baserail; F, the rib or projecting portion of one bracket, and G the extended portion of another bracket.

It has long been an objection to platform rocking-chairs that the connecting-springs, be ing put on carelessly by boys and inexperienced workmen, are often placed too far in the front or rear, so that when the parts of the chair are secured together in working order the rockers will not be in exact alignment with their base rails. This of course causes one side of the seat part of the chair to be somewhat in advance of the other, so that the seat will appear to be slightly turned around, and thus produce a lack of symmetry in appearance and certainty or safety in operation. V

My present attachment is especially intended to provide for applying the attaching brackets in such a way as to secure a proper location of the spring, and at the same time permit of its being adjustable and readily detachable at one end, or, if desired, at both ends.

recess may be cut by machinery at the time the wooden parts of the chair are made, and consequently its location made exactly and mechanically correct. I prefer to make it in a shape that will enable it to be dovetailed or otherwise fitted into the wood, so as to secure the bracket without the aid of screws or other attaching devices, the groove or recess being in this case in proper shape to receive and securely hold the flange or projection. As shown in Figs. 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10, the groove or recess is gradually narrowed and deepened toward its end nearest the spring, and this enables the bracket to be firmly pressed or wedged in against the wood.

As the grooves or recesses will be in that position which, when the brackets are in place and the parts held together by the springs, will always insure the correct and proper location of the rocker 011 the base-rail longitudinally, there will be no possibility of their failing to be in proper alignment through the carelessness or inexperience of those who apply or attach the brackets to the wood, and by locating the groove or recess in the rocker or base-rail higher up or lower down I can insure the attachment of the brackets far enough apart to draw the coils of the spring away from each other, and thus cause them to exert enough tension to hold the rocker firmly and securely on the base. The position of the attachment being thus determined by the bracket having the projecting portion, the other bracket may be adj ustably secured by hooking or looping it over the edge of the rocker or base-rail, or in any other convenient way. It will thus be seen that by properly fitting or dovetailing one bracket into the wood and hooking or looping the other over the edge of the rocker or base-rail the entire attachment may be applied without the use of screws or other attaching devices, and of course while fastening the attachment firmly this secures its longitudinal adj ustability and makes it easily detachable whenever it is desired to take the chair apart for shipment, upholstering, or other purposes. In some cases it may be advisable to provide both of the brackets with projecting portions and both members of the chair with grooves or recesses to receive and hold the same. In

Fig. 10 I have shown a form of attachment especially adapted for such use.

My present form of attachment is especially adapted for use in that class of chairs in which the parts are attached together by framemanufacturers and afterward sold to upholsterers, and in which, as often happens, the weight of the upholstering materiahwhen applied, is found to carry the seat part of the chair too far back. In such case all the upholsterer has to do in order to secure the proper relative position of the parts is to push the adjustable bracket a proper distance toward the front. I11 many cases where it is desired to take the chair apart it is also adecided advantage to be able to detach one end of the bracket, while leaving it permanently attached at the other end.

Of course it will be understood that I use the term bracket in a general sense and as meaning any kind of attaching device capable of securing the spring to the rocker and baserail.

I do not desire in this case to claim generally the attaching of brackets directly to the wood of the rocker or recess cut therein, as that forms the subject of my claims in a case which I now have pending, Serial No. 267,051, filed March 12, 1888, but only recesses which are narrowed and deepened toward their ends nearest the spring; nor do I claim in this case the use of grooves or recesses to locate the position of the spring longitudinally on the rocker and base-rail, as that forms the subject-matter of my application, No. 284,197, filed August 30, 1888.

I claim- In a platform rocking-chair, the combination of a rocker and base-rail, at least one of these members being provided with a groove or recess narrowed and deepened toward its end nearest the spring, a spiral spring forming the connection between the rocker and base-rail, and two attaching-brackets securing the spring to the chair, at least one of the brackets having a widened and beveled projecting portion fitted and held in the recess of the chair,whereby the spring is removably attached at one end and its position fixed, substantially as described.

IVILLIAM I. BUNKER.

Witnesses:

EPHRAIM BANNING, GEORGE PAYSON. 

